


unfortunate circumstances

by acoolegg



Category: Resident Evil, Resident Evil - All Media Types, Resident Evil 2 - Fandom, Resident Evil 2 Remake - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Gore, Local Woman Fucks Shit Up, Resident Evil - Freeform, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Zombie Apocalypse, be funny or die trying, follows the story of leon playthrough 1, how many times can we refer to leon as being boy band-esque, i have to do research on the 90s for this, i'm here for sassing leon, leon has a Sense of Duty(tm), literally the slowest story ever, sassy mc, there's a dog now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-11-28 19:00:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20971460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acoolegg/pseuds/acoolegg
Summary: "I gotta find that guy." You looked at him. He had a firm expression on his face - even if you wanted to talk him out of it, you wouldn't have been able to."Alright." You stood up straight, Titan immediately joining you. You scratched behind his ears and sniffed. "Let's find him."His eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. "What? No. You're a civilian - you should stay here, where it's safe."You shook your head in disbelief. "We don't know that it's safe here. And, like,dude.It's the," you made pathetic jazz hands once again, "zombie apocalypse. Civilian? Cop? Doesn't matter." You straightened your back and hoped he couldn't see how your hands still shook. "Saving a person is saving a person. And I want to save him. Besides… I can be useful to you." You gestured to the white shepherd at your side with a wide grin, proudly saying, "BecauseIhave a police dog."---Zombies have unleased themselves on Raccoon City. You rescue a dog and decide to hole up in the Raccoon Police Department. There, you meet Leon and learn what it means to be a hero....or something like that.





	1. so the world ended. that sucks.

**Author's Note:**

> not to be dramatic or anything but i LOVE the re2 remake and their super cute 90s leon. he's wonderful and is my BOY. his stupid boy band lookin' ass is a TREAT to play.
> 
> (just a side fic i work on in between updating mhi-bfatt! so don't expect much lmao. i just wanted to write based off of my brother and i's play through of re2 and how we relentlessly make fun of leon for being dumb sometimes.)

So, the end of the world happened. That sucked.

Well, you say the end of the world, but you hadn't been out of Raccoon City to know if, like, the _whole_ world was affected. Your world had certainly ended. It had ended when you had to drop a microwave on your roommate's head to keep her from trying to eat you.

If someone had told you that you'd have to fight zombies one day, you'd have laughed and brushed them off. The idea of _undead_ people roaming the earth was scary - it's why you never watched Romero movies. But now that was your reality. You had dead people wandering the streets you had grown up on.

You really should've watched some Romero movies, because you had no idea what to do other than 'destroy their brains.' Should've manned up and watched them with your roommate. She had liked that kind of shit. But now she was dead and her brains were on the bottom of your microwave and--

Calm down. Your heart race was spiking, anxiety pumping through your blood and making your hands shake. You gulped down air as quietly as you could - maybe if you actually breathed like a normal person, your shakiness would go away. You'd need _non-shaky_ hands for what you were going to try and do.

You had your back (well, your back_pack_) pressed against an alleyway wall, one hand on the baseball bat you had taken from home and the other on some brick you had found. You had to focus to hear the growling and whines of a dog, one that had gotten trapped on top of a car and was keeping the zombies away with vicious snaps from his jaws, over the torrential rain. When you first saw him, he had seen you and barked to get your attention. He hadn't looked worse for wear - he even had one of those police dog vests - just scared by the creeps chasing him. But that bark had drawn their attention and trapped him up there and...

You felt kind of responsible.

Were you really going to risk your life for some fucking dog? You peered around the corner, seeing the sizable zombie army around him. He was the first thing outside of your apartment that you had seen in _days_ that hadn't tried to eat you. So, yeah. You were.

You sucked in one more shaky breath before chucking the brick as hard as you could towards a car. It smashed through a window and immediately set off the alarm, the loud squeals drawing the attention of most of the zombies. They started wandering towards it, although a few remained near the dog.

As they shuffled towards the source of the sound, you ducked and hugged the sides of the cars. You were going to have to try and draw their attention away, or take them out. Fuck. _Fuck._ You just hoped this dog didn't run off and leave you alone while you tried to save him. That would've been some kind of ironic, right?

He had quieted down when most of the horde had moved away, scooting towards the center of the car's roof so the greedy hands of the stragglers couldn't get to him. You stared at him, one hand outstretched in a 'stay calm' kind of way. He stared back and you swore you could see gratefulness in his puppy dog face. Alright, yeah, you were alright with dying for this dog.

There were two zombies on either side of the car, one trying to crawl up the back, and one trying to climb up the front. If you played your cards right and if the dog was _really fucking lucky,_ if you smacked the shit out of the one on the front, the dog could run down the front and you could hightail it out of there. It had a high chance of being your last good deed, which was sad, but it was okay because you'd be saving the pooch.

Quietly, _quietly,_ you inched your way towards them. Your fingers faltered on the grip of your bat for just a second - if you left now, the dog would be an excellent distraction. But you had already convinced yourself that _this_ was what you needed to do. Your grip returned and you raised your bat over your head as you stepped behind the zombie.

The dog stood up and looked ready to run, staring at you once more. He puppy smiled at you. Oh, fuck, that was it. You brought the bat down with as much force as you could, taking minor satisfaction in how the thing's head exploded in a mess of red gore. But the other five turned to you and you started to freeze.

Shit, shit, shit shit shit. You felt the weakness in your knees return, trying your hardest to stay up despite the fact you wanted to freeze and falter. Your grip on your bat slackened. This was it. This was how you died. Fuck. Had you made the right choice? What would George Romero do?

But the dog hadn't run off, he hadn't left you to get eaten. Instead he jumped down onto the hood, then down to your side. He smacked the back of your knees with his head and you were in the moment again. You gripped your bat and steeled your nerves as best as you could. You were alive but if you kept standing still like this, you wouldn't be for long. You took two steps backwards as they ambled forward. The dog stayed by your side, growling at them.

Then you turned on your heel and ran. And again, the dog stayed by your side, running with you. Had you made a friend? Was this dog - was he sticking with you? You knew you shouldn't trust it, shouldn't trust _some dog_ to stick by your side during the end of the world - despite that, though, you felt some of your worries melt away.

Until you were struck with a thought. Where the hell would you go? You had been holing up in your apartment until a couple hours ago; you know, the apartment you shared with your roommate, the one whose head you had to crush with your microwave? But now it felt wrong to be there. She had been the one going out to gather stuff while you fortified your shared home - that's how she got bit. You couldn't stay there, in that monument to your failures.

She had talked about the police station a couple nights ago. You two had been shoving your couch against your door when she returned from gathering stuff while she talked about overhearing an old broadcast saying that survivors should go to the police station. She had said that they were supposed to have food, water, medical supplies and _armed officers._

You had been the one to veto the idea; you knew that everyone and their sick mother would be going there, regardless of whether or not they were bitten. You hadn't wanted to expose either of you to that kind of shit show. You hadn't wanted to go somewhere that your likelihood of death would go up by a few thousand percent. You didn't need a Romero movie to know that people would gravitate towards 'safe places' and immediately make them unsafe.

You regretted it now. Maybe, if you two had gone then, she'd still be alive? You two weren't exceptionally close or anything. You had just been a couple of broke college girls that wanted out from your parents' thumbs. Damn it, though, you'd love to have someone you _knew_ and _trusted_ by your side.

Fuck it.

You veered right towards the police station, the dog seemingly already knowing where you wanted to go. Which would make sense, considering the police vest. He was a police dog, right?

You nearly slipped and fell when you heard an explosion, instinctively turning to look where it was. Of course, you couldn't see it through the buildings, but you could see the flickers of flames in the sky and the smoke billowing up, almost disguised by the black clouds. Oh, _oh shit._ There were screams of zombies that you hadn't even realize were around you as they started getting up.

Your new dog friend took charge, jumping onto the hood of a car and staring at you. Was he… expecting you to follow him? The snapping of jaws near you had you scrambling up after him. He gave you another puppy smile and started bounding across the roofs and hoods of the cars. You had to be a little more careful as you followed, slipping on the slick metal a couple times and nearly losing your bat to the streets.

You could see the big white 'R.P.D' of the station ahead, lit up by the most blindingly bright lights you had ever seen. Relief washed over you as you hopped off the last car, the dog panting as he crouched down and moved towards the gates. You made it. Shit, you made it.

There was another zombie scream near you, and you whipped around in time to dodge a gore covered hand reaching for you. You kicked the thing in the knees and backed up, hurriedly taking in your surroundings. Fuck. _Fuck._ There were so many - you had let your relief cloud your alertness.

A gunshot went off and you watched as one of the zombies near you staggered backwards before falling to the ground. You took two steps back before finally turning and running for the gate, glancing over your shoulder for whoever shot. You could see a man jogging your way, dipping away from those that reached out for him.

You tried to push open the gate and your dog friend stuck to your side as you struggled. "I can't…" you thoughtlessly hissed from between your teeth. You let your bat clatter to the ground and used both hands to push on it. You couldn't get a good grip because of how wet the damn thing was.

The man stood next to you, pushing it open with a grimace. You ushered your dog friend in and picked up your bat, following after him. You fell to the stone path and sucked in air as he shut the gate, slamming the sliding lock bar through. Your dog friend nudged your shoulder with a concerned whimper and, without thinking, you wrapped your arms around his neck. A hug. Shit, you really needed a good hug. You could already feel your dog allergies start up but, like, fuck it. This was your buddy, and you needed a hug from your buddy.

The tags on his collar were _frigid_ against your rain soaked skin. You pulled away long, running your hand down his neck and collar to eventually hold them. You read over them and smiled. "Titan," you whispered. He perked up at his name, tilting his head in that doggy way. You ruffled the fur on his cheeks. "Good boy, Titan."

The sound of bodies hitting the metal gate pulled you from your thoughts. You fell on your ass and stared at the zombies reaching for you. The man cleared his throat. You snapped attention to him and felt bad when he looked guilty for freaking you out. He extended one of his hands to you, the other holstering his gun. "Are you alright?" he asked.

You accepted his hand and let him haul you to your feet. Titan took his spot by your side; it seemed that saving him had granted you the role of 'master,' at least for now. The man was handsome - all 90s charm and good looks, with that stupid cute hair cut and pretty blue eyes - and, if it weren't the end of the world, you would've been too nervous to talk to him. But it was the end of the world and you just couldn't _give a shit_ anymore.

You immediately pulled your hand away to push damp hair out of your face. "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, physically. I'm not bit, if that's what you're asking." You bent down to pick up your bat again, talking as you did. "What about you? Are you alright? You're not bit either, right?"

"Bit?" He stared at you critically as you stood back up, looking like he was trying to catch some hidden meaning to your words.

You stared right back, incredulous. Where the fuck had he been? Did he not… did he seriously not know? You spoke with your free hand, mimicking a mouth biting with your fingers. "You know, like. Bitten? How you catch this damn zombie thing?" You slammed your hand mouth to your neck. It was a pretty straightforward thing. Get bit, get sick, die, reanimate, bite others. And thus, the circle of death could continue.

He continued to look at you and the hand you had chomping on your neck, then at the zombies that were still making a racket at the gate. He was contemplating what you said - you could see it on his face. "No," he finally decided on. "No, I'm not bitten." You couldn't help the unsure look you gave him as you lowered your hand. "I promise."

"Uh-huh." You didn't _want_ to believe him, but considering the fact that your one friend right now was a dog you met less than ten minutes ago, you were inclined to. So you stuck out your free hand and introduced yourself. You rattled off your first and last name before following it up with, "I, uh, I live here. Not _here_ here, like in the police station but, like, in Raccoon City. I grew up here."

He shook your hand, and you appreciated the unsure smile he gave you. "Leon Kennedy. I'm… well, I'm supposed to start here as a cop." You winced at that (what a shitty first day) and opened your mouth to respond (something about jokingly telling him that authority could eat your shorts or something), only stopping when another zombie scream coming from the gate caused you to jump. Titan bared his teeth at them. Leon pulled his hand from yours and set it on your shoulder. You wondered if he could feel your fear, or if maybe that was just your shaking. "Jesus, you're soaked. Let's get you inside."

Oh, shit, you were. You looked at your soaked sweatshirt and jeans and nodded, letting him lead you by the shoulder into the building. Titan crouched low to the ground as the man opened the heavy door. The place was dim and empty. Definitely not a safe haven. There was blood everywhere, and piles of gore pushed to the sides. The huge ass goddess statue in the back loomed over everything, like a tyrant staring over the ruins of her undoing. It looked… well, it looked fucking terrifying.

"I was right," you muttered under your breath without thinking. If you two had come here when she first suggested it, you both would've most assuredly died. The thought was cold. It only added to the chill you felt as water dripped from your hair and clothes, which was amplified even more by the nearly frigid temperature inside the building.

Leon tilted his head slightly and gave you a confused look, asking softly, "What do you mean?" You shook your head and pulled away from him, adjusting your grip on your bat. Your fingers were shaking again. You had to white knuckle it, to keep them from shaking too bad. He sighed at you lack of an answer and looked around. "Hello? Is anybody here?" he called out, pulling his gun out and keeping it aimed ahead of him.

You let your free hand rest on Titan's head, petting him softly as you looked around. Looking over the gurneys and around the paper privacy curtains, you could see the medical supplies she had talked about. There was bottled water, too. Maybe there were snacks. Fuck, you'd kill for a snack. You had been running off of the last of your cereal bars for the past few hours and your stomach was starting to complain.

But despite how desperately you wanted to tear through shit and find food, you knew you'd have to wait to rifle through this stuff until you were certain the area was safe.

Leon called your name, breaking your focus on your half-hearted exploration and causing you to realize you had wandered off. You hoped he didn't feel like he had to be responsible for you. You were responsible enough to take care of yourself and make your own (terrible) decisions. Although, it'd be nice to have someone watching your back. Titan nudged your side and you felt bad for your mental jab at him. Alright, you reasoned, it'd be nice to have another _human being_ watching your back.

You jogged over to him, watching how he looked around the front desk. You walked towards the huge wooden desk, running your fingers over it. It was smooth. Why had you expected it to _not_ be smooth? Did you even _know_ where you were at? You were at a _police station_ with a fuckin' _goddess statue!_ Of course it was smooth!

"What're you doin'?" you asked, grinning when you saw a typewriter sitting on top. Oh man, you hadn't messed with a typewriter since you moved out of your parents' house. You stopped in front of it and leaned your bat against the solid wood of the desk, Titan by your side. You curled your arm up above his head and spoke firmly, hoping he was trained. "Sit." And he did. You smiled at your obedient new dog friend, petting behind his ears. Then you reached for the typewriter, stopping when you saw water dripping off of your arm. You didn't want to get it wet.

"I'm sweeping the area." He rounded the desk and stood next to you, gun lowering as he watched you set your backpack on the ground before pulling your waterlogged sweatshirt over your head. Your t-shirt was a bit _less soaked,_ thankfully, although it was still cold and it clung to your clammy skin. You tied your sweatshirt around your waist before you moved for the typewriter once more, twisting the necessary pieces into place. "What are _you_ doing?"

"Keepin' my fingers busy." You tapped along the keys (spelling an undignified 'fuck'), frowning when nothing showed. "Ah, damn, it's out of ink…" He dug around in his pockets before handing you two ink ribbon rolls. You raised one brow in confusion before shaking your head. "Where did you… You know what, I don't care. I'm glad you have these." You pocketed them - you had no idea what you'd write yet, so despite what your earlier actions would've implied, you knew that it would be a waste to use one right now. Instead, you turned to grin at him, flashing him a sign of the horns with your hand. "Hell yeah."

You took it as a personal win when he gave you a small grin back. "Hell yeah." But the grin fell as he looked around the empty station lobby. He took in the blood smears and smell of death, looking forlorn. "What happened?" he asked. Was that rhetorical?

"Zombies," you answered simply, idly tapping the front desk. You grimaced when you touched a small pool of blood, shaking what you could from your hand and wiping the rest on your (still soaked) jeans. "The end of the world. Or at least the end of Raccoon City." You shivered and stepped away. "How could you not know that, dude?" Did you really just call a cop 'dude'? Yeah, yeah you did.

He shrugged and watched as you rubbed your hands together. Friction, friction, friction. "I only got into town today. I was with someone else - another woman. We… we both showed up together, only to get separated by that explosion. I hadn't heard _anything_ about this."

You couldn't help it; you gave him a cheeky grin as you blew on your fingers. "Ooh, another woman? How scandalous." Honestly, the whole 'not hearing anything' didn't surprise you; the military had cracked down on people going in and out of Raccoon City pretty hard the first couple days, before they basically imploded. So maybe it wasn't the end of the _whole_ world...

Leon rolled his eyes. "It's not like that. We met at the Mizoil outside of town, like, an hour ago. I was trying to get gas. We were almost eaten. ...she's looking for her brother, who's also a cop." He shrugged off his jacket and handed it to you. At your confused face, he gestured to you. "You're soaked and cold, right? It'll keep you warm."

"Oh." Yeah, that made sense. You slid it on. "It _is_ warm." And it smelled nice, like not death! What a win. He grinned at your reaction.

Oh boy, he really was cute.

You pushed some wet hair behind your ear and averted your gaze, leaning back against the counter and trying to recount exactly what had happened. "Anyways… About five… six? I dunno, five or so days ago people started getting sick. And then they'd just. Die. And then they'd get back up and start eating other people. Those that weren't completely eaten got sick and died, too, and then got back up and started eating people. And, well. It's a cycle, I guess. Everyone's basically dead. Er. Undead. Most people are," you pathetically waved your fingers in some bastardized version of jazz hands, "zombies."

Leon nodded, although you had a feeling that was more to himself than to you. You two locked eyes as he asked, "Do they have any ideas on what started it?"

"They?" you laughed, "_What they?_ Other than my roommate, you're the first living person I've seen since this shit show started. Like, _living_ living." He scowled. You rolled your shoulders and slipped passed him, having caught sight of a laptop. You didn't want to talk about how you didn't know shit about this thing. So instead you tapped against its keyboard and waited for it to boot up. You could still feel his gaze on your back and you deflated, looking back to him. "...as far as I'm aware, no one knows what started it. That's what I heard before all the radio broadcasts went to loops and the cable cut out."

"So they have no idea…" Whoever this mysterious 'they' was, you hoped they'd fucking figure it out soon. "Well." He reached around you to touch the mousepad on the laptop, scrolling around the screen before bringing up a security feed. "There has to be someone here that does."

As if hearing his words, fate pulled someone onto the screen. Another officer, if his uniform and gun and air of authority that you desperately wanted to fuck with told you anything. The officer turned and shot down the hallway he had just sprinted out from. You watched with bated breath as a zombie came staggering after him.

You squeezed in closer to Leon to watch the screen. "Not good," you heard him mumble as the officer took off down another hallway. He hit the arrow keys in rapid succession, cycling through the cameras to try and find him again.

"Yeah, 'not good.'" Were you about to watch a man die? Were you about to do _nothing_ while watching a man die? You had no idea where he was, how many zombies were there… But, fuck, you couldn't just let a dude die, could you? You shook your head to try and clear the barrage of thoughts. 

You looked down at Titan, who in turn looked up at you, tongue lolling out of his mouth and a doggy smile on his face.

Fuck. Fuck. Yeah, you couldn't just let a dude die. You hadn't been able to 

You forced yourself to look back right as Leon found the correct camera. The officer had his flashlight pointed down the hallway as he dug into his back pocket. "David, Marvin! You there?" You two shared a look as his voice crackled over the speakers. Apparently, he was expecting others. You looked back in time to see him turn to stare up at the camera, holding a book up. "I found a way out! It's in here!"

The zombie shuffled towards him, causing him to pull out his gun and shoot at it. It didn't go down, instead it lunged for him and caused him to lose hold on his flashlight. You felt your breath catch in your throat, fingers anxiously twitching once more.

The officer managed to fend it off, glancing at the camera once more. "Send reinforcements! East Hallway!" Then he took off into the darkness again, the zombie shambling behind him.

Leon cycled through the cameras, pulling up what looked to be a map of the building that showed the active cameras. You leaned forward and tried to absorb as much of the layout as possible.

"I gotta find that guy." You looked at him. He had a firm expression on his face - even if you wanted to talk him out of it, you wouldn't have been able to.

"Alright." You stood up straight, Titan immediately joining you. You scratched behind his ears and sniffed. "Let's find him."

His eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. "What? No. You're a civilian - you should stay here, where it's safe."

You shook your head in disbelief. "We don't know that it's safe here. And, like, _dude._ It's the," you made pathetic jazz hands once again, "zombie apocalypse. Civilian? Cop? Doesn't matter." You straightened your back and hoped he couldn't see how your hands still shook. "Saving a person is saving a person. And I want to save him. Besides… I can be useful to you." You gestured to the white shepherd at your side with a wide grin, proudly saying, "Because _I_ have a police dog."


	2. teamwork makes the dream work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's not, uh, full. But there's ten in there." Your thumbs hurt and you had probably bruised your chest from the amount of pressure the damn thing had put on it. But it was worth it, 'cause he actually smiled. Not those little grins or smirks he had been giving you, but a real 'thank god something went right' smile. Your chest puffed with pride.
> 
> "Ten is better than nothing." He tucked the magazine in his back pocket once more, clapping you on the shoulder good naturedly. "I better make them count, right?"
> 
> You nodded, pressing a single finger to your forehead. "Put it between their eyes. The sooner their brain is painted on the wall, the better."
> 
> His smile fell into a serious scowl at that. "Put one in their brain… I can do that much."

You and Leon had been in a quiet stand off for a few minutes after his decision, trying to silently get the other to bend to their will. He didn't want you to come with him to rescue that officer dude, and you didn't want to stay in the main hall with Titan while he did all the work. "The more time we waste playing this game, the more likely he's gonna bite the dust," you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest.

"That's why you should just stay here." His eyes - those damned, pretty baby blues - caught the light so prettily in here, but they just looked cold. "It's dangerous. _I_ have experience with danger. You don't."

"_Dude._" You scrubbed a hand down your face. "I'm sorry, you said that you came here _today_ to be a cop, right? So this makes it your first day here in Raccoon City, _right?_" He nodded ever so slightly. "That means I've been doing this whole zombie apocalypse thing for _longer than you have._ I have more 'experience with danger' than you do! I have the _most_ experience with danger! Wait, no, actually, that'd be Titan, since he's a cop dog." You looked to your fluffy, police vest wearing companion, whose tail thumped against the floor as you scratched behind his ears. "He's your senior as a cop, and he says I can go."

Maybe, just maybe, he'd shut the fuck up and you two could be on your way. "He's a _dog._" You took immense joy from how _done_ Leon sounded with you. That paired with his deadpan look gave him total 'bad boy' boy band vibes. You had to stop yourself from snickering at that thought - you'd lose all credibility if you laughed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look."

"Yes?" This was it, this was you getting your way. (Jeesh, you could be such a brat.) You would have to thank your mother - shit, your _mom,_ you hoped she and the rest of your family hadn't come back from their vacation yet - for your stubbornness.

"You can come with me. _But_ you have to stay right behind me. And if things start going south, you have to take the dog and bolt." He set his hands on your shoulders, as if trying to physically show you the gravity of the situation.

You knew how important this was. "I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I make no promises. Not about the 'staying behind you' thing! I can do that. That's not hard. But, like. No promises about the whole 'bolting' thing. I-I, uh." You smoothed some of Titan's fur down against his head. How should you put this…? "I don't like leaving people in compromising situations."

He pulled his hands away from your shoulders with a soft sigh, shaking his head and causing his perfect boy band hair to mess up. "Are you always this insufferable?" There was something like bemused annoyance in his tone. At least, that's what you thought it was.

Regardless, you barked out a laugh, "Yeah!" You reached for your backpack and shrugged it on before grabbing your bat and balancing it on your shoulder. "You're gonna have to get used to that. That's, like, my whole thing. My roommate _hates_ it."

Er, hated it. No, you wouldn't add that anecdote. It was too… too sad.

(She was dead. You had been the one to kill her.)

A small grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. "I guess I'll have to learn to deal with it." He shook his head once again as he brought the map up on the computer again, staring at it closely as he decided what to do. "We're going to have to go through a hallway on the right."

"Yeah. The hallway on the right..." You leaned over his shoulder and tried to plan some more. "Hence, East Hallway." He rolled his eyes and you grinned. "Don't be so easy to fuck with, Leon."

He stood up quickly, sharing a look with you. "Let's do this." You nodded. He took that as his cue to move and you followed. Titan stayed glued to your side, although his ears flattened against his head the closer you got towards the front. You kept an eye out, excitedly swiping up a first aid spray and shoving it into Leon's jacket's pocket. You had a bunch of first aid shit shoved in your bag, so it wasn't like you were in desperate need of it, but having one a little more easy to get to would probably be helpful.

The door you probably had to go through was less of a door and more of a sliding metal barricade. It looked awfully inviting with that big 'Keep Out!' sign taped to its front and with all that blood smeared at the bottom (see: not inviting at all). You grimaced as you stepped through a mostly dry blood puddle, feeling the stickiness of it pulling against the bottom of your sneakers. You looked down to Titan, who seemed to be unbothered by it. You scritched right behind his ears - he might not be bothered, but you were, and this was your consolation prize for him.

Leon crouched by the metal gate and shined his flashlight over it. He tapped against it gently, shaking his head ever so slightly. "It's shut."

You nodded sagely as you stared at his back. "Yes, I see that. Any other observations, Captain Obvious?" You couldn't help but grin as he stood up and threw an annoyed look over his shoulder. He made it _so easy._ Did he not have siblings? Clearly not, or he'd know that the first rule of siblings was to not give a reaction.

Without saying anything else, he moved to the panel to the gate's left. You hadn't been paying much attention to anything but the metal door. It had a huge switch and a bright red light. You stepped behind him as he pulled the switch, the thing beeping and the light turning a bright green as the gate rolled up--

It only rolled up like a foot.

You stared at the dark gap, half-expecting a hand to come shooting out from underneath. "Oh you've _got_ to be shitting me," you groaned, scrubbing a hand down your face. "Seriously? _Seriously?_ This is a death trap." And you were going to have to _crawl in this gross ass blood_ to get through. It was gross. It was going to make his jacket _smell_ gross, and you were clinging to the little bit of fabric softener scent that was still on it.

Leon grinned at you, crouching down by the gap and clicking on his flashlight to shine it through. "So do you want to stay here instead?" he teasingly asked, lowering himself to get a good look at the surroundings on the other side. You almost cried when his perfect boy band hair touched the grossness.

You scowled and dropped to the ground beside him, ready to crawl through at a moment's notice. "No." Titan scooted beside you, pressing his body tight against the ground, his ears completely flattened and gaze focused. Was this… police dog mode? You grimaced as your fingers stuck to the blood, shaking whatever you could off. "I feel bad because your jacket's gonna get gross."

He side eyed you before giving you another grin, patting your back. "It was going to get gross sooner or later, might as well get it out of the way now, right?

"It's gonna stop smelling good," you lamented, furrowing your brows and frowning. It was a truly sad circumstance. He rolled his shoulders, laying on his stomach and sticking his head underneath the gate. "Any trouble?" you asked after a moment.

"No." Leon pulled himself through. He spoke quietly, "None that I can see, at least." Well, that was reassuring.

Titan made a low 'harump' sound and you looked at your furry companion. He was giving you a look, as if waiting for your command. "Go," you instructed, hoping he knew what you meant. It seemed he _did_ know - he shimmied underneath the metal gate and joined Leon in the darkness. You stared at the void, occasionally catching glimpses of his flashlight's beam on the other side.

You nearly jumped when Leon's hand stuck itself out of the gap, offering you help. "Are you coming, or am I taking the dog and going?" Again, he spoke quietly. Which meant you'd probably have to speak quietly.

You shoved your bat into his hand. "Hold on to this." Your bat - what had been your one weapon since you had left the stronghold of your apartment - receded into the darkness. Your fingers trembled even more now that you didn't have something to hold on to. You tightened them into fists, digging your nails into your palms.

"Don't freak out as you come through." Oh good. That was _really_ reassuring. Despite that, you nodded, knowing he couldn't see you. You were appreciative of the forewarning, though. "There's a lot of blood on the wall. And… other stuff."

"Other stuff?" What the fuck kind of-- You know what, you didn't care. Instead, you took a few deep breaths to quell the anxiety starting to build." Oh, I already hate this," you muttered, finally pressing yourself to the ground. You could feel the blood stick to your chest through the parts of your t-shirt that touched the disgusting floor.

You struggled to get leverage on the sticky floor, your sneakers squeaking and refusing to find traction. Titan stood guard ahead of you two while Leon grabbed you by your arms and pulled you through. He helped you up, pressing your bat back into your hands before steadying you by holding your arms. Titan was by your side immediately. You smoothed your free hand down his head in a pathetic pet.

You could feel all that grossness seep through your shirt and, honestly? You weren't chill with it. "Are you alright?" Leon asked. You nodded, biting back the scream of disgust you felt trying to climb up your throat. He hadn't moved his hands from your upper arms, holding you in place as he looked over you, stopping at your sneakers. "...you need better shoes."

Yeah. Yeah, he was right, as much as you hated to admit it. You needed shoes with more grip! More support! More ass kicking potential! These weren't even _your_ sneakers! They were a pair you had stolen from your roommate months ago because you thought they were cute!

"And a clean shirt," you added quietly. He nodded, turning his gaze to the gore smeared across your chest. Should you have been upset that he was blatantly staring? Maybe. But it was less creepy and more taking inventory on the damage done to your everything. You shuffled under his stare, sniffing. You caught a whiff of the gore. "I'm sorry about your jacket." And you were. It was gross now that the last bit of fabric softener smell was lost to the overpowering scent of death.

He didn't answer you, merely squeezed your arms. Was that supposed to be… comfort? Reassurance? You tilted your head at Leon, at the firm look on his face. How could one man be so darn cute? He pressed a finger to his lips and you nodded. That was your cue to shut up and look around. So, look around you did. The wall across from the metal gate was covered in blood and… other stuff.

Brains? You were tempted to say brains, but that shit was _thick._ Maybe not brains. Human muscle tissue? _All_ of the human tissue? Did someone fucking _explode?_ You pointedly looked away from the wall, stepping around him and peering down the dark hallway so you would stop focusing on the gore there.

You noticed a set of green and red lights on your left just a ways away, to the right of the metal gate. You had to blink twice so your eyes could adjust to the darkness around it. It was a fuse box down a small set of stairs. You pulled away from him to go down and look at it; looked like it needed two fuses for full power, but it was missing one. Which meant… until it was at full power, you were probably going to have to keep squeezing your asses through the gore gap. Great.

Leon pressed a hand to your shoulder as he walked passed, drawing your attention to him. You watched as he walked further down the hallway, flashlight by his head as he investigated. There was a whiteboard that you wanted to look at but he moved away too quick for you to read anything, instead going for the double red doors on the right side of the hallway. Titan growled lowly as you followed him.

The doors didn't open and part of you was beyond grateful because you could only imagine the crazy types of fucked up shit hiding in there. But his face fell as he turned to look further down the hall, shining his flashlight into the darkness. You could see water forming a small lake over the floor, papers haphazardly thrown on a bench and taped to the walls, and - thank Christ - vending machines. Without thinking, you dug a hand into your back pocket to look for change.

Ah, shit, your wallet was in your bag. Guess that meant no Twinkies for you - you weren't risking the time it would take you to find it because, you know, _zombies. Dark hallway. The machine probably wasn't working._

You gripped your bat tightly as you dipped your feet in the water. It wasn't super deep (maybe two or three inches at the max) but it still seeped through your shoes and into your socks. You could feel it working its way up your jeans. A shudder worked its way up your spine as the chill hit you once again. You stared at Leon's back. How was he not, you know, _bothered_ by that? Walking through fucking _zombie water?_

There was the creaking of floorboards (or maybe the ceiling?) as you rounded the corner and you jumped nearly six feet in the air, your previous water problems gone from your mind. Leon swung the flashlight around in an effort to find the source, moving further down the corridor. You froze in place, feeling your heart climbing into your throat. Your fingers trembled as they struggled to grip your bat. Could zombies be stealthy? Shit, why had you never considered that before?

Titan nudged your free hand with his cold, wet nose. It brought you back to reality. You looked down at him and pat his head. "Good boy," you whispered. You sucked in a deep breath before speed walking to catch up with Leon, your dog friend by your side. You grabbed the back of his shirt without thinking - well, no, you had been thinking, but it was something along the lines of 'shit please don't leave me behind I am _terrified_ of being alone.'

He twisted on his heel, very clearly about to smack you in the face, stopping just before the butt of his flashlight could make contact with your nose. Instead, he gave you an exasperated look and lowered his hand. You at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Scared?" he asked quietly. You shook your head, definitely not wanting to admit that you were. He looked at you seriously. The fingers you had twisted in his shirt twitched. "Don't let go." And with that he turned back around, sweeping his flashlight over the hallway.

Once Titan made sure you were suitably attached to Leon and therefore 'safe' by sniffing your legs and then his legs, he moved to scout ahead (you might've only known him for like an hour but you would die for this adorable dog). You peered around your companion to keep an eye on your dog friend, taking in the sights as you did. There was a boarded up door that you definitely didn't want to mess with to your left, a leaning cabinet further that obscured part of the path ahead, and a set of _unboarded_ white double doors to your right.

Leon went for the double doors first, twisting the knob slightly. Were they… locked? You cringed when he shoved them open, shining his light into the newest room. You creaked one eye open, then another, then unfurled your fingers from his shirt and stepped in. You were… you were overwhelmed. You were _terrified._ Too terrified to even _shake._ You were frozen once again. You struggled to keep your voice down. "This is… this is where they filmed the announcement."

You recognized it from your TV, remembered seeing the Police Chief standing before a crowd of reporters and instructing the citizens Raccoon City on what to do, remembered spilling your cheap cup ramen all over your chest when he said 'reanimated dead.' You had never been in this room before yet here you were, acting like it was an important part of your very being. And in a way, wasn't it? This room that you had seen on TV dozens of times before during police press releases had announced the mass slaughter of your fellow man _by_ your fellow man. They might not have realized it at the time, but they had sparked the fear of God in everyone that watched because they basically announced the end of the world you knew.

There were boxes and chairs pushed into corners and against the walls, a lone folding table covered in documents sitting towards the podium. A couple cameras were still set up, the feet of their tripods covered in blood. And then, in the middle of the floor, a lone body. There was a trail of blood behind it; so it must've crawled a bit. Was it dead? _Un_dead?

You jumped when a cold, wet nose pressed itself against your hand. Titan looked up at you, dark eyes seemingly wondering if you were okay. You smoothed your hand down the back of his head as a silent consolation. Then you turned to Leon, who still held the light on your back. He was staring at you with something like empathy. Or maybe that was pity? You didn't know. Honestly, you didn't _want_ to know. "Sorry," you murmured. And you were; you could only imagine what he must've thought, seeing you clam up like that in the middle of a room neither of you had been in before. You offered him an unsure grin. "I wasn't expecting to see this."

That broke him out of whatever state of mind he was in. He stepped in, sweeping his light over the area and rounding the podium. Titan joined him, that police dog training taking over as he sniffed the air. You kept an eye on the body, crouching beside it and poking it with the end of your bat. Thankfully, it didn't move - a sign that you probably _wouldn't_ get bit or killed by this thing. "What are you _doing?_" he hissed when you set your bat on the ground started rifling through its pockets, stepping behind you. It didn't move, which meant that it was dead. Definitely dead. _Really_ dead. Not undead. Maybe a dead undead? Double dead? Or would that be dead squared? Whatever, it was definitely a corpse and you were fine to loot it.

You felt a heavy box in its jacket pocket, pulling it out with a wide grin. You excitedly flipped it over in your hands, hoping that it was a box of granola bars or something, only to frown at the big ol' gun on the front. 'Maximum Standard' was printed next to it. Damn, it wasn't food at all. It was a box of handgun ammo, if you had to guess. You opened it and sure enough, a handful of bullets were in it.

You stood up and shoved it towards Leon's chest. "It's not food," you pathetically mumbled as he took it from your hands. Part of you thought you should've been happy, finding something he could use. But you were too petty for that. Instead you picked up your bat and sighed.

He flipped the box over and read the name, a grin starting to pull at the corners of his mouth. "It's ammo." He fumbled around in his back pocket and pulled out something - a, uh, a whatchamacallit. The thing that goes in the gun. Stepping closer to you, he extended both the thing and the box of ammo towards you. You blinked at the items, then at how he expectantly stared at you, somehow managing to wedge your bat in your sweatshirt and between your back and backpack before taking those things from him. "Have you ever filled a magazine before?"

Magazine! That's right, the gun food went in a magazine. You knew that.

(You didn't know that.)

"Yeah, of course I have." You stared at it apprehensively. Guns wigged you out. This magazine - while not _attached_ to a gun - wigged you out. You couldn't help but quietly hiss out, "Why." _Please don't ask you to, please don't ask you to…_

"Are you sure you have?" Fuck, he knew you were a filthy liar. You guiltily shook your head. "Okay. I'm gonna show you real quick." He stepped towards you, leaning his head to the side and holding his flashlight in the crook of his neck so he could take your hand in his.

"Why do I need to know?" you asked softly. And was now the time to learn? Really, right now?

"I'll need another magazine ready in order to reload quickly." Okay, that made sense, you guess.

"So you want me to… feed it?" You glanced up at him.

He gave you a small, amused smile as he nodded, flipping the magazine in your hands so the opening was up. He stuck his fingers in the box you held and pulled out a bullet. "You put it in this way, using your thumb to press down on it. It can be kind of difficult since the magazines are spring loaded." The hand on yours pressed the bullet into place, barely pushing against your grip at all.

"Pfft. Can't be that hard." You pulled away from him, digging your own fingers into the ammo box and pulling out a bullet. He moved towards the wall, pressing a switch and bringing light to the room. This fucking bullet weighed a lot more than you would've thought. Whatever. You slid it against the previous bullet. And then-- "_Fuck!_" --your thumb cracked loudly as you strained to push it in.

Titan was back by your side in a second. Shit, you had scared him. Leon nearly jumped, turning around to glare at you. "Shhh!"

It was hard.

How could it be that hard!? You turned a suspicious glare up to your human companion, who was wearily sweeping his eyes back over the room in case you woke anything up by being loud. (You hadn't even been _that loud._) He didn't look super strong but you couldn't get a pin on him in that stupid long sleeve shirt.

Whatever. Now you had to do this out of spite. "How many can this hold?" you hissed from behind clenched teeth, pressing down on the bullet once again. You could've screeched with joy when it went in.

"Twelve rounds." Rounds meant bullets right. Yeah. Probably. Definitely. You nodded like you understood and worked on shoving another one in. "Think you can do that and stay with me?"

"Of course." Your damn pride was going to kill you, probably. You barely caught the look he gave you before he started walking away. It didn't look like he was leaving quite yet, so you stood in place and struggled to shove more in.

Leon searched over the room a little more thoroughly with the lights on, digging through some paperwork and boxes but coming up empty handed. Your thumbs were starting to ache and your chest hurt from where you had to press the bottom of the magazine against it to keep it from wiggling.

After a couple more minutes of searching, Leon moved towards the door. Titan nudged your legs and you followed, intermittently glancing between the magazine and his back. You counted how many you had managed to shove in the magazine as you walked - nine more. That meant there were ten shots in there, right? Nice, nice. You were getting good at this; you'd be at twelve in no time--

The box was empty.

You stared into the empty box like it would magically spawn more bullets, dropping it on the ground with a sigh when nothing suddenly appeared. A little more litter wouldn't hurt. Then you rushed to close the short distance between you two before he opened the door. Your bat thumped against your back uncomfortably, but it wasn't the worst feeling ever. And if it meant you finally had a way to carry it when _you_ weren't carrying it… well, it was fine, then.

"Leon," you quietly called, hand catching the back of his shirt once more.

He didn't crack you in the head with his flashlight this time as he turned around. (Probably because you had called out to him, but still.) "What?" You held up the magazine with a grin, handing it to him when he reached for you.

"It's not, uh, full. But there's ten in there." Your thumbs hurt and you had probably bruised your chest from the amount of pressure the damn thing had put on it. But it was worth it, 'cause he actually smiled. Not those little grins or smirks he had been giving you, but a real 'thank god something went right' smile. Your chest puffed with pride.

"Ten is better than nothing." He tucked the magazine in his back pocket once more, clapping you on the shoulder good naturedly. "I better make them count, right?"

You nodded, pressing a single finger to your forehead. "Put it between their eyes. The sooner their brain is painted on the wall, the better."

His smile fell into a serious scowl at that. "Put one in their brain… I can do that much." Aw, man, did he not know that? Shit, you were going to have to teach him everything about the whole zombie thing, weren't you?

He twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door. You followed him out with a soft splash as your feet met the water again. As you held the door open for Titan, you wondered with personal disdain why you hadn't appreciated the dry floor of the press room while you had been in there. You had always taken good things for granted. Your mother had always told you that it was your biggest weakness, your personal sin.

You looked to your right, seeing where you had just come from drowning in the darkness. Leon clicked on his flashlight and turned to the left, running the light over the cabinet leaning across the hallway.

You stared at it, specifically honing in on the bullet holes that were about person-head-height in its side. You tilted your own head ever so slightly to look through the gap between it and the wall, taking in the inky darkness beyond. It was scary. Terrifying. And you were definitely going to have to go down there, weren't you.

"I think…" You stepped towards the cabinet and the gap, crouching ever so slightly. You heard Leon make some kind of disapproving sound as you ducked underneath, slowly moving towards the other side. Titan whined when he couldn't fit through with you. You shushed him with a gentle pat to his head, "It's okay, baby. Gimme a second…" You popped back out in front of the pair, hooking a thumb behind you. "I can fit through here and help you shove this thing up."

Even though most of his face was hidden in the darkness, you could see him glancing between you and the blackness of the other side. He was weighing his options, probably. "Even if it's just for a couple seconds, something could show up and grab you, and I won't be close enough to fight them off."

You shrugged your shoulders noncommittally, stealing another glance at the darkness behind you. He was right. There could be something over there that desperately wanted to eat you, and if you were separated for even a couple seconds, you didn't have him watching your back. "That's why I have Titan, right?" You looked down at your furry companion, smiling at him when he cozied up to your legs. He couldn't fit in right next to you, but certainly he could follow right behind you, yeah? Despite that, he didn't looked convinced. "And that's why you have your gun, right?"

He still looked unsure. "It takes time to get to it, and every second counts. I can't… just let me lift it from this side."

"Leon. Let me help you out, please. You can't do everything by yourself, you know?" You put one of your hands on your hip, the other poking him in the center of the forehead. "Besides, nothing's going to happen. But if something _does_ happen, all you gotta do is put one between their eyes. You can do that, right?"

He looked hesitant as he nodded. "Of course I can." You couldn't help but give him a toothy grin at his almost defensive response. He was so cute! "Let's get this over with, then. Quickly."

You turned on your heel and ducked underneath the cabinet once more. Titan scurried after you quickly, ears flat against his head as he stood guard. Pressing your hands on either side of the cold metal, you waited for his count. You had to stand on your tiptoes to lock eyes with him. "Let's do this. On your count."

"You're sure about this?" he asked once more.

You held in your exacerbated scream and instead hiss out an irritated, "I'm already over here, let's get this shit over with." Your eyebrows furrowed as you stared at him. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can rescue that guy and get out."

That seemed to do it for him. "Alright. One." Your muscles tensed as he started the countdown, his own hands coming to rest on it. The beam from his flashlight that had been providing the faintest bit of light for you disappeared and you were forced to notice the creepy red light of the fire extinguisher case behind you. "Two." You could pick up on the sound of running water, now that your own voice wasn't covering it up. Had you really been talking that much, or were you just too nervous to pick up on the quiet? "Three." You shoved against it - fuck, it was exceptionally heavy, even with two people. And he had wanted to do this alone? No way.

It clattered into place against the wall and Leon was by your side in a second, shining the light in your face before moving it towards Titan. Your canine companion was still in defensive mode, although you picked up on how some of the tension in his body disappeared as your final party member rejoined. Part of you was endeared to the fact that your buddy was so protective of you and felt that Leon could protect you as well. The other part was disappointed in yourself, since clearly a dog felt that he had to protect you.

Titan took his spot by your side again and you scratched behind his ears. Leon was looking over where you all stood contemplatively, eventually turning his gaze back to you. "Now was that so hard?" you teased softly. He gave you a look that asked 'are you serious?' and you had to tear your eyes away or else you were going to laugh. "Where to next?" You didn't look back to him, instead staring down into the deep brown eyes of your furry partner. You were gonna laugh, you were gonna laugh…

"This way, I think." 'I think.' That sure was confident sounding. Regardless, you looked back up in time to watch him turn around, going down a hallway on his left. You and Titan followed. In the minimal light provided by his flashlight, you could make out a 'Closed for Cleaning' sign and a janitorial cart pressed against… scaffolding? Garbage? Whatever it was pressed against, it was blocking the rest of the hallway which meant this was a dead end.

At least until you felt water rushing around your ankles and turned to the source - a door on your right clearly labeled 'Women,' with the lady stick figure and everything. A bathroom! You two had found a bathroom! Where… where all the water was seemingly coming from, if the small waves coming from beneath the door told you anything.

(Oh god. _Oh god._ Please, please don't be what you thought it was. Zombie shit water was so much worse than zombie water.)

"I can't go in there," he said, noticing how you stared at the door and turning a light over it.

It would've been an endearing statement, had the zombie apocalypse not been a thing. "I dunno if you've noticed, but like. _No one_ that would give a shit is around. Chivalry is dead, Leon, you're free to go into women's bathrooms." You reached for the doorknob. "And it's looking like this may be our only way around," you gesture to the pile of garbage blocking your path with your free hand, "_that._"

Leon gave the blockage an apprehensive look before nodding. "Alright, let's go." Without another word, you ushered both him and Titan through the door, pulling it shut behind you. There was a series of stalls to your right and the sound of overflowing water was much louder now. And, to your left… no holes in the wall. No doorway. It was a perfectly sealed off room, which meant there was no bypassing that barricade right now. Your shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Damn it," you muttered. Well, might as well do some looking around while you were here, right? Carefully, _carefully,_ you stepped over to the first stall. It was open and completely normal. Someone had the toilet paper put on the roll the _bastard way_, but other that it was normal. You were grateful for the lack of zombies in it - stalls seemed like perfect hiding spots.

Leon took his cue from you and opened the second one, gun at the ready. His own shoulders slumped as he holstered his gun, instead shining his light around the stall. "Ah, damn. All the water's coming from here."

You walked around him to the third stall, telling yourself that you weren't going to check and see if the toilet was clogged but ultimately lying when you did. It wasn't clogged, thankfully. Well, as far as you could see. You weren't stepping foot in there to actually check. It looked like it was just having plumbing problems and all the water was being backed up out of it. There was only so much a girl can tell from clear water.

Opening the third stall, you smiled and grabbed another first aid spray off of the back of the toilet. "Do you have enough pocket space to carry one of these?" you asked, peering out at him as he looked over the fourth stall. When he glanced to you, you excitedly jingled the can. "I already have one in my pocket, and some in my bag, so you need one to easily carry, too, right?"

When he didn't move, you walked towards him. He seemed to be thinking once again. "The only pockets that I have that would fit that would be the ones in my jacket." You made a face and stared at his jacket, still currently on your person.

"My sweatshirt is probably a little more dry," you murmured, picking at the still wet cotton wrapped around your waist. Damn it, you should've been more considerate! You had stolen his pockets! "I can give you back your jacket if you want it."

You jumped when his hand touched your shoulder. You looked up to him, to the playful grin on his face. Had he… had he just pulled a fast one on you? "What was it that you said earlier? 'Don't be so easy to fuck with?'" You could punch him. You _would_ punch him. He caught your fist before it could touch his chest. "It's fine - keep the jacket and spray, and just be nearby in case I need you."

His fingers traced down from your fist to wrap around your wrist loosely, moving with your arm as it came to rest by your side until he was basically rubbing his thumb over your skin. It was a warm and safe feeling. You hadn't felt that in, like. Forever. _Before_ this whole fucking zombie thing, honestly. Since you had moved out? Whatever. You were practically melting.

"You can do that, right?" He was twisting your own words around on you. But he was looking at you so earnestly - with a soft grin and those pretty blue eyes - that you didn't care. Let him twist! You'd let him get away with it since he was so cute.

"Yeah." You nodded, pulling your hand from his and shoving it in your pocket. You then proceeded to shove the first aid spray and your other hand into your other pocket. You grinned at him, hoping it looked as genuinely warm as you felt. "We're a team. Gotta take care of one another, right?" Titan nudged the back of your legs with his nose to grab your attention, and you ruffled the fur on his head. "You too, baby. We'll take care of you too."

As you pulled your hand away, your dirty blond friend pat Titan for the first time that night, roughing up the fur behind his ears good naturedly. He had a determined look on his face as he looked to you, speaking softly, "Yeah. We're a team."

You might've only known Leon and Titan for, like, an hour, but you would take care of them. Because… well, because you were a team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, a few things to mention before y'all go back to reading other things!  
1) leon is such a 90s heart throb i love him.  
2) you may have noticed that this is like, barely scraping the beginning of the police station. nothing of note has really happened and it's going slow. i want to work on believable character interaction with this piece to really challenge myself, so i'm trying to expand on certain things here and there. because of this, the plot's going to be kind of slow. maybe this will be a true slow burn? idk! sorry if it's not your cup of tea, though!  
3) there's so much comedic gold in here, i'm so proud of myself  
4) here's a little sketch of the reader, as i have her in my head. i call her sadie!  



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